Frankfurt, Germany: Adventure Day

Alternate Title: The time we missed the German Christmas Markets…

So jet lag is hitting us hard this time. L woke us up about 2:30 this morning. 😳 We let the kids watch some shows, read, and basically tried to kill time while being as quiet as possible, until 6:30 for breakfast. In case you’re wondering, this is a less than ideal way to start the day!

After breakfast we decided to hit up the Natural History Museum since L is a HUGE dino fan. Along the way, we walked through the Red Light district. 😬 The kids found a ball to play with, and I found 50 euros! Score!

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We motivated ourselves through the museum, finally desperate for food and sleep by 11:30. The only place we found open, was the mall. All the stores were closed except for Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Chipotle. This is the day before Christmas Eve, what the heck?!

We dragged ourselves back to the hotel and napped for two hours.

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After pulling our kids awake, brutally from the depths of sleep. They fussed, and flopped their way outside into the rain. International travel isn’t always glamorous.

But a playground always perks up spirits, even in full rain gear!

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We went to the Kids museum and it was a bit of a bust. It was supposed to be super interactive, but 3/4 of it was closed, or for kids 10 years or older. WHY?!

But that killed an hour and half, till we were going to have dinner at the CHRISTMAS MARKET!

(This is where Germany scores 1, and the Hamptons get 0.)

Apparently Germans celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, so everything will be shut down on Monday (tomorrow). Today being Sunday apparently nothing is open, and so the freaking Christmas Market was taken down today!!! 😭🤬😮

Someone please explain to me how you can close a Christmas Market prior to Christmas Day?!

So we grabbed a quick dinner at some American burger joint, and got all this scoop from the nice guy working the counter. We also consoled ourselves with some gelato.

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(That last photo is what was left of the market. Even the nativity was being taken down?????!!!!)

So now we’re trying to figure out a plan for tomorrow. We shall find out if anything is open past 2pm, or if it all closes, as we’ve been warned. It’s looking like we may try to watch a movie. Fingers crossed it’s not in German!

Not exactly how we envisioned our Christmas time in Germany, but when traveling we’ve learned to roll with the unexpected. The good (50 euros) and the bad (Christmas Market).

Final note, our kids walked 9 miles today!!! No strollers, no carriers, and very minimal fussing. Hey there’s a bright side!